This church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and acclaimed as a Gothic masterpiece for its sculptural decoration and architecture.
Parts of the building are much older than the gothic period, as the romanesque nave and transepts are from the 1000s.
Later gothic additions like the choir ambulatory and facade are masterful in the way they help form a unified whole.
The historic relics of Reims’ patron saint are inside: Saint-Remi was the bishop noted for baptising Clovis the King of Franks around the turn of the 6th century.
At the site of 900 years-worth of royal coronations, it’s almost mind-blowing to think of all the historical figures that have passed through.
Before you enter see if you can find the Smiling Angel in the north portal of the west facade.
It’s a 13th century sculpture with its own story to tell, as it was beheaded during the German bombing in 1914 and the fragments became a famous piece of anti-German propaganda within France.
The Smiling Angel is one of a small army of sculpted figures on the facade, more than any other cathedral in Europe apart from Chartres.
And finally for art lovers, in the apse you can find stained glass windows designed by Marc Chagall to replace those damaged in the war.
Remembering Reims, France and all it has to offer. These are a few highlights from our trip last year.
Reims is a city in northeastern France’s Grand Est region. It’s the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region, and many of the champagne houses headquartered there offer tastings and cellar tours. For more than 1,000 years, French kings were crowned at its Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims. This grand cathedral is known for its stained-glass windows and Gothic carved portals, including the Smiling Angel.
Troyes is a renaissance city in the south part of the Champagne region with many cathedrals. Several things grabbed our attention as we first read about the city and then as we wandered along the streets.
The half-timbered houses are not the typical white with
brown timbers. These are multi-colored houses. There was a fire in 1524, which
destroyed almost the entire city. When the houses were rebuilt, colors were
used on the houses and buildings. It makes for a pretty historic center.
Then there are the cathedrals. Troyes has eleven cathedrals. That’s right…11 cathedrals in one city. We had time to visit five. Each of the Troyes cathedrals is special. Each one has its own special windows and features. I have never seen so much stained glass. I have never seen such a variety of stained-glass windows.
The first Troyes Cathedral was started in the 13th century and completed over 400 years later. You might think this would make for a jumbled mess of design. It doesn’t. It is entirely Gothic throughout. This is considered one of the most beautiful churches in all of Europe.
Walking into the spacious nave, we could only stand and
stare. Light engulfed us as it streamed in through more than 1,500 square
meters of stained glass. That is over 16,000 square feet. That’s a lot of
stained glass.
Some of these windows date back to the 1200s.
There are three huge rose windows, each over 30 feet across.
We often see one impressive one. But, three? They were all designed by Martin
Chambiges, a renaissance architect. So many colors and light. As I kept looking
at one of the windows, I felt like I could be in a kaleidoscope. The colors
changed, the shapes jumped out at me, and the light continued to radiate.
Eglise Sainte-Madeleine is probably the oldest church in Troyes. Some say it is the most beautiful.
Construction dates from 1120, being rebuilt around 1200 in a
Gothic style. The apse and choir were renovated around 1500 in a more
flamboyant Gothic style. The square Renaissance looking tower was added in
1525.
One of the most impressive parts is its famous rood screen.
A rood screen is an elevated stone gallery between the nave and the choir. It
has room for a choral group or officiating priests. This was originally wooden.
Replaced with a stone one, it has the look of lace. And, it did look like lace.
It was hard to believe it was stone. Only about a dozen religious buildings in
France still have a rood screen.
In addition, the apse’s stained-glass windows are colorful
story-telling examples. The Tree of Jesse, The Genesis, and The Pearls of Saint
Eloi are some of the best we have seen. Unlike others, the stories presented
are easy to follow.
Don’t let the outside fool you into thinking the inside will
be plain. Not the case.
The Basilica of Saint Urbain was commissioned by the 13th
century Pope Urbain IV, who was born in Troyes. He had it built on the site
where his shoemaker father had his workshop.
This one includes stained glass windows from the 13th
century and a large amount of historic art.
There are more…you will just have to see them for yourself.
If You Go: Troyes is located about two hours southeast of Paris. Check out other amazing parts of Troyes in Travels and Escapes
It’s not uncommon for cities in France to have more than one church or even more than one cathedral. In fact, we sort of expect to see different sizes each with their own amazing features. It is always humbling when we realize the time frame in which they were built. We are not talking about the last 50 years, either.
Some have weathered well. Others,
not so much. Some were casualties of a world war or some group fighting against
another one. Still, some remain almost unblemished.
We visited tiny towns with huge
churches whose steeples dominated their skylines. Other cities and their
skylines were dotted with various sizes of steeples, turrets, and rising
columns full of stained glass.
We had been visiting several churches
and cathedrals in different cities and towns in the Champagne area of France. We
didn’t need to travel far to find different architecture, yet similar looks.
One, in particular, captured our hearts. Notre Dame de Reims…
This cathedral has been an
important part of French history. It’s also classified by UNESCO as a world
heritage site. But, that’s not all we loved about it.
First a little history…
It was built between 1211 and
1275
For 800 years it is where the
kings of France were crowned, 25 of them
It is the second cathedral, after
Chartes, with the largest number of statues and statuettes. If you want, you
can count 2,300 of them.
The two impressive rose windows
are imposing…and stunning as the light shines through them
There are original stained-glass
windows from the 13th Century and ones from as recent as 2015
13th Century Gothic architecture
is mixed with more recent architecture due to bombings and destruction during
both World Wars
Okay, many cathedrals have their own
history. This one just happens to have more than others.
As are many cathedrals, this one was huge inside. How huge?
Total length of the cathedral is
500 feet. Notre Dame de Paris is 425 feet long.
Height in the nave is 125 feet
Towers are almost 270 feet tall
The outside spire is about 290
feet
Inside the total floor area is
close to 22,000 square feet
Diameter of the west front Rose
Window is 41 feet
Total square feet of windows is
12,800 square feet
No wonder it took us over an hour just to walk around and admire the spectacular interior.
Some favorites during our visit…
Three stained glass windows in the axial chapel that were produced in 1974 by Marc Chagall
The first Chagall window includes the theme of the Tree of Jesse
The central Chagall window is the sacrifice of Isaac
The right Chagall window includes some of the great times in Reims history, including the baptism of Clovis and the coronation of Saint Louis and Charles VII
We often see one magnificent rose window. Here, there are two. Looking up, each one did not seem to be over 40 feet across.
Light streaming in through all the windows showcased this magnificent cathedral, giving us a sense of peace
If you find yourself in or near
Reims, France, this is definitely worth the time to visit. Its beauty is hard
to match.
